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Vegas1's avatar
Vegas1
Explorer
Feb 29, 2016

FWS Major Failure (see photos) *UPDATE*

Today I noticed the outside end cap to the Power Gear ram was getting hung up when retracting the full wall slide. Upon closer examination, it was discovered that two bolts that secure the floor to the ram had sheared off, causing the center of the slide to sag about 1/2". I brought it to the local WInnebago Service for diagnosis and repair. They determined that it was going to be a very difficult fix since you can barely get one hand into the area. The two outside Rams were doing all the work. If this was not discovered, who knows what kind of failure would have occurred. They called factory service and it was recommended that the ram be jacked up to close the gap between the sheared bolt and weld it in place.
I'm not sure if this is going to reduce the integrity. Hoping Extended Warranty will pay for the repair since it appears to be a manufacturer defect. Any suggestions?
Class A

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  • Dale_Traveling's avatar
    Dale_Traveling
    Explorer II
    Mar 01, 2016
    Something about the set up just doesn't feel correct. Bolts do a really good job holding two surfaces against each other but exposing a bolt body to lateral shear forces and not expecting failure sometime later is a bit much. And the idea of using a force multiplier, such as a jack, to push everything back together then welding is also asking for failure by forcing a misalignment if the resting state is as shown in the images.

    Since the two pieces appear to have an air gap it needs to be filled with something that can take the lateral strain rather than the fasteners. Even something a low tech a square tubing with a bolt thru it. The friction of four surfaces held together by a fastener will eliminate most if not all the shear force on the fastener.
  • Kayteg1's avatar
    Kayteg1
    Explorer II
    Mar 01, 2016
    Is the broken small piece welded to top bracket?
    That looks like welding stress crack, what is typical with welding heat-treated steel without observing proper procedure.
    This way or the other, looks to me impossible to do any solid repair without taking it out.
  • Mike_Hohnstein's avatar
    Mike_Hohnstein
    Explorer
    Mar 01, 2016
    Obviously the threaded fastener was over stressed. Price to pay for the 'full wall' and the giant hole it creates in the side.
    Larger diameter fastener with a support sleeve is the only proper repair.
    No way is welding appropriate in that area.
  • rgatijnet1's avatar
    rgatijnet1
    Explorer III
    Mar 01, 2016
    I think the bolt should be replaced, rather than welded. Perhaps they used a lower grade bolt instead of a high strength bolt. IN any case, the bolt was installed when the unit was built and there must be a way to replace the bolt now.
    I remember watching one show on cable where they completely removed a slide on an RV, repaired it, and reinstalled the slide in about 5 hours.
    As far as your extended warranty, who knows? Some specifically exclude problems with the slide. You need to read the fine print and contact them before any work is done.
  • Effy's avatar
    Effy
    Explorer II
    Mar 01, 2016
    If I understand the proposed fix correctly, I am not sure I would trust welding the existing bolt. There is a reason those bolts sheared and welding them won't increase their shear strength. I would push for another fix. Larger hardware, larger brackets etc. But welding the existing broken bolts seems risky. In the first pic, it looks as if there is a hole for another bolt. Was this designed for 2 and only one was installed? Additional bolts of a harder grade may resolve the issue.
  • MaverickBBD's avatar
    MaverickBBD
    Explorer
    Mar 01, 2016
    See my reply on the other forum. That was real similar to what 3T's did for my friend.

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